Incantational Magic
The most common type of magic in Kyth, this magic works by channeling one's magic through a wand and the use of a rune-language, which are then triggered by the use of a spoken incantation. It is considered by many Kythians to be a gift from Lord Woo, and many of the incantations in fact have 'Woo' in the name. Incantational magic is genetic and often runs in families, but since multiple genes are required for magical ability, it's also possible for mages to be born to non-mage parents, and for two mages to have a non-magical child. Magical strength is also somewhat inheritable, but it can vary quite drastically between siblings as well. Spellcasting To cast a spell, an incantational mage mentally recites a chain of memorized runes, points their wand in the direction they wish to send the spell, and send a burst of will and magical power into their wand while reciting the incantation associated with the runes. Spells can vary a great deal in appearance, both at the wandtip and when being cast, though there is a general theme of glowing light. Strangely, the area where an incantational mage learns how to cast spells seems to affect the color of this light - mages who study in Kyth cast spells accompanied by green light, while Courdonian students cast red spells. Wands Made of a handful of very particular woods, cores, and crystals, and to a slightly wider variety of lengths and flexibility, each wand is unique even if only in the slight, minute differences in the material itself, and is ideally supposed to perfectly match the mage who owns it. Most of the finest wands come from expert wandcrafters whose business is established in Corvus. Crystals are unique feature of wands in that they aren't necessarily essential to the wands construction. The function of a wand crystal is to focus the magical power channeled through it, making the spell stronger, but not all mages can use a crystal; some pour their power into their wand in such a way that the gem explodes, and others can't easily push their power past the crystal, resulting in a momentary delay in spellcasting. Other mages get a helpful boost in power from these crystals, or a point to focus their energy. Still other mages are capable of using a crystal with no trouble, but receive no meaningful advantage from using one, either. Woods include (but are not limited to) oak, ash, holly oops there are a lot, will finish later, '' Possible wand cores include (but are not limited to) ''will finish later, need to look up a post and Make Decisions The Pull No mage can use magic without draining some physical energy - in incantational mages (and some non-incantational mages as well) intensive or overuse of magic results in the pull. The condition is named for the predominant sensation experienced by pulled mages - an uncomfortable sense of tugging, usually compared to an over-stretching muscle. The pull is also accompanied by aching, pain, and exhaustion at higher levels of overuse. Severe overuse of magic will cause a mage to pass out. The pull is progressive in where and how strongly it manifests. The sensation begins in the fingers and can sometimes be shaken or stretched away, but as more magic is used without ample rest, will gradually travel up the arms, where the aching grows more intense and eventually using spells becomes painful, until it finally reaches the chest. This is where the pull is at its worst; mages describe a common sensation of feeling as if their ribcage is being pulled open from the inside, leaving a strong if irrational conviction that their chest is about to rip open. Putting pressure on the chest helps somewhat, and mages at this stage of the pull instinctively wrap their arms around their chests to help “keep themselves together”. In these later stages of the pull, spell-casting can become extremely painful, and when completely pulled, can hurt for a few days after as well. Over time, as a mage’s magic recharges, the pull will fade away again, more quickly for smaller amounts of pull than larger. Sugar is able to help relieve the pull, though more so in aiding speed of magic-recovery than the pain and ache of the pull itself. While most of the time a mage will pass out before their power is completely pulled, thus stopping their spellcasting, in some cases they can be in mortal danger from the pull if their power continues to be drawn into a spell or if the mage is able to keep themselves from fainting. Curses Warmages Archmages See full article for archmages Spells Spells that have been used or mentioned in Medieval and/or side fics and roleplays include: Category:Magic